By Jeff van Booven, Production Associate
Outside the air is a frigid and torpid mass that even the Sun’s warmth cannot penetrate. Deceptive though the view outside the window is, before me is a steaming cup of Earl Grey and the speakers pump out some random opera from Pandora that I can’t understand, yet find alluringly moving. One such benefit of working from home is such a choice in musical accouterments and the ease at obtaining beverage choice; however, the budget for office furniture is lacking. This is where my story begins: the struggle to sit comfortably.
Outside the air is a frigid and torpid mass that even the Sun’s warmth cannot penetrate. Deceptive though the view outside the window is, before me is a steaming cup of Earl Grey and the speakers pump out some random opera from Pandora that I can’t understand, yet find alluringly moving. One such benefit of working from home is such a choice in musical accouterments and the ease at obtaining beverage choice; however, the budget for office furniture is lacking. This is where my story begins: the struggle to sit comfortably.
The Struggle is Real
In the annals of history and fiction, there are far more compelling quests and trials of human spirit than trying to sit for two hours straight without some part of your body slightly aching. Lower back pain holds little weight against fighting fascists and the sore shoulder doesn’t outshine triumphing over the forces of Sauron. However, when one spends much of their time producing content of one medium or another, the inability to sit comfortably turns into a person quest regardless of importance in the broader cosmos.
How Did I Get Here?
The story begins with a custom-made desk. Back in my college days, when I first moved into my own apartment, I needed a desk. Rather than spend the few hundred dollars a desk at Office Depot might cost, my dad, ever somebody who knows his way around a piece of wood, sawed, sanded, and stained his way to a desk. While wood was no problem--ergonomics perhaps, is much harder to get right. Through two separate office chairs, I’ve come to believe the desk is the one ring of discomfort. From this desk, in its lightly stained plywood glory, I’ve suffered a litany of abuses.
For one, the desk is slightly two tall. Not enough to immediately be noticeable, and a taller person than myself might not even have a problem. Unfortunately, the average office chair simply doesn’t sit high enough to allow my arms to sit at the right height. A new office chair has brought me close, but adds another problem, my legs aren’t long enough to rest on the ground properly, necessitating the MacGyvering of a footrest using the box of ancient and useless tablet technology (it functions better as a brick than it ever did as an off-brand electronic device).
The other concerns the trials and tribulations of armrests. The height of the desk makes it nigh impossible to put an armrest at the right height to be usable and slip under the desk. In fact, at current, with the height my chair must sit, the armrests can’t even go low enough to fit. Further, because of a curve in the desk, one armrest must be removed in order for the chair to sit centrally at the desk instead of shunted off to one side. The result is a chair that sits too far back from the desk, meaning the lumbar support is less effective.
For one, the desk is slightly two tall. Not enough to immediately be noticeable, and a taller person than myself might not even have a problem. Unfortunately, the average office chair simply doesn’t sit high enough to allow my arms to sit at the right height. A new office chair has brought me close, but adds another problem, my legs aren’t long enough to rest on the ground properly, necessitating the MacGyvering of a footrest using the box of ancient and useless tablet technology (it functions better as a brick than it ever did as an off-brand electronic device).
The other concerns the trials and tribulations of armrests. The height of the desk makes it nigh impossible to put an armrest at the right height to be usable and slip under the desk. In fact, at current, with the height my chair must sit, the armrests can’t even go low enough to fit. Further, because of a curve in the desk, one armrest must be removed in order for the chair to sit centrally at the desk instead of shunted off to one side. The result is a chair that sits too far back from the desk, meaning the lumbar support is less effective.
When will it all end?
One day I will find the right combination of chair and desk. My lower back will rest in comfort and my shoulders will work without strain. Angels may sing paeans to my leisure. However, until that day, the struggle continues.
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